


Setting Sail

by AsterionXx



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Background Relationships, Bromance to Romance, F/M, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow-ish burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 09:01:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18206360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsterionXx/pseuds/AsterionXx
Summary: The survivors of the Killing School Trip try to make their own future. It's every bit as difficult as they'd imagined, and more. (Mainly focused on Fuyuhiko and Hajime)





	Setting Sail

**Author's Note:**

> Fuyuhiko wakes up.

The first thing Fuyuhiko felt when he awoke was panic. The second thing was a sharp pain on his forehead as he instinctively tried to sit up, only to promptly bang his head. Letting out a hoarse groan, he opened his eyes to find himself within a pod covered by green glass, the apparent source of his now growing headache. He blinked several times in confusion, the memories slow to return. _That’s right. I’m … Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. Member of Hope’s Peak Academy’s 77th Class. Supposedly the Ultimate Yakuza. The Kuzuryuu Clan’s Young Master. A failure as both a brother and leader. And … a Remnant of Despair._

 

Fuyuhiko closed his eyes for a few moments to give himself time to think. Seeing as he wasn’t maniacally trying to spread despair, it was probably safe to say that somehow his personality had transferred over from the simulation. In which case the first thing to do would be find a way out of this pod. He tried to call out but instantly found his throat too dry to make a yell. Instead, he raised his hand and struck the glass several times, hoping that someone was there. A few long moments passed, before the lid to the pod finally hissed open. He immediately sat up, and was about to climb out of the pod when a cold voice interrupted him.

 

“Stay where you are.”

 

The familiar voice made Fuyuhiko freeze, before he turned around towards it. The speaker was a tall, slender man with blond hair and glasses, dressed in a suit. For a brief moment, he didn’t remember who this man was. _Byakuya Togami_ , his mind supplied him. _The real Ultimate Affluent Progeny. A survivor of the Killing School Life, now member of the Future Foundation._ Fuyuhiko’s eyes shifted down to the gun Byakuya held in his hands, tensing.

 

“Geez Byakuya, put the gun down, he’s obviously not a Despair anymore.” Still wary, Fuyuhiko moved his eyes to the new speaker. This time he recognized him immediately. _Makoto Naegi. The one who defied the Future Foundation to put us in the Neo World Program._ Then, unbidden, a surge of loathing swamped his mind. **_The “Ultimate Hope”. The one who killed Lady Enoshima._ **Startled, he shook his head slightly, and the moment was over.

 

“Naive fool,” Byakuya snapped. “The Remnants of Despair are masters of deception.”

 

Despite his words, Byakuya’s hand lowered. Seeing that the weapon was no longer facing him, Fuyuhiko shakily got to his feet. As he was about to step out of the pod, a sudden weakness struck his legs, and he stumbled. Thankfully, Makoto was standing ready and immediately caught him.

 

“Careful there,” he warned. “We tried to keep you moving, but your legs haven’t had proper motion in weeks.”

 

“Don’t fucking touch me,” Fuyuhiko managed to mutter, but Makoto paid him no mind, as he slowly led him towards a nearby seat. As they passed Byakuya, Fuyuhiko’s eyes once more passed over the gun. **_You could do it. Take it. Kill them. A death far too painless for their crimes, but good enough._ **It wasn’t uncommon for Fuyuhiko to brainstorm ways to kill others, but the venom within those thoughts was so intense that he almost stumbled again.

 

“You must be thirsty.” The young woman standing to the right of Makoto passed him a glass of water, before entering into a conversation with Byakuya. Fuyuhiko gave a soft thanks, and took the drink gratefully, still trying to place the identity of this woman. Out of the three Future Foundation members that had saved them in the simulation, she was the one who had left the least impression on him. Considering her striking hair color, it should’ve been easy to recall her identity, but his memories remained stubbornly hazy.

 

By the time his mind had provided him with the name Kyoko Kirigiri, the three Future Foundation members had finished whatever they were discussing.

 

“Would you like to meet the others?” Makoto gently asked. “You’re the third one to wake up. Akane and Hajime are already in the restaurant.” Fuyuhiko looked up in surprise. When he didn’t see any of the others, he’d assumed that he was the first one awake.

 

“Are they … alright?” He asked hesitantly.

 

“From what we can tell, they’re not Despairs, if that’s what you’re asking,” Byakuya supplied. “You can decide for yourself whether or not that constitutes them being ‘alright.’” Fuyuhiko was about to ask another question when Kyoko interrupted him.

 

“You’ll understand when you see them. Makoto will help you get to the restaurant.” A surge of anger rose within Fuyuhiko.

 

“I can fucking walk by myself,” he spat, rising to his feet to prove the point. Kyoko’s expression didn’t change, but Makoto and Byakuya both grimaced at the rancor in his voice. Fuyuhiko looked down, ashamed. He mumbled a hasty apology, blaming his reaction on the stress of the situation, before slowly making his way out of the building. _Did you learn nothing from the game?_ He berated himself. _That was completely uncalled for._

 

Still, despite knowing that the three Future Foundation members were definitely his allies, a feeling of distaste for them lingered unbidden in his mind. Faintly, he could tell that Kyoko and Byakuya also felt some degree of antipathy towards him, or at least distrust. _It’s only natural,_ he reminded himself. _We were enemies, after all._ _We … were the Remnants of Despair._

 

Even now, it didn’t seem real to him. That the world had been thrown into such disarray by one high school girl. That he and his classmates had killed countless people in the name of something as ridiculous as “despair.” That even after Enoshima’s death, the world was still far from returning to peace. But he knew that it was all true. Deep within his mind, he remembered. Nothing specific, but more than enough. Standing alone in a room full of corpses, blood on his hands. Overlooking waves of people as he ordered them forward.  Laughing as he watched a man executed. They were all proof that what the Future Foundation had said about him was true, no matter how much he would’ve liked to deny it.

 

Fuyuhiko snapped out of his reverie as he reached the exit of the building. The sky was cloudy. He’d grown so accustomed to the perfect weather of the Neo World Program that he’d almost forgotten that clouds could be dark. Briefly, he wondered if perhaps the rest of the islands would also differ from what he remembered, but considering that Makoto had let him go alone, they were probably close enough what he expected.

 

Sure enough, though some of the buildings were different, the bridge to the central island was where it was during the simulation. At this point, he realized that he should’ve let Makoto help him after all. The restaurant was all the way on the first island, and he was already out of breadth. But it was too late now for regret, and so he pushed onward. _Besides, I need the exercise,_ he consoled himself.

 

By the time he’d begun to shakily climb the restaurant steps, Fuyuhiko had lost track of the number of times when he’d had to sit down for a few minutes and rest. Luckily, there was no way that Hajime and Akane would know how long it took for him to get here. When he finally reached the top, he wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find, but no matter what it was, he would still have been shocked.

 

_They’re not Despairs, if that’s what you’re asking. You’ll have to decide for yourself whether or not that constitutes them being ‘alright.’_ Byakuya’s words echoed in Fuyuhiko’s mind as he took in the scene before him. The man and woman sitting in the restaurant looked nothing like Hajime Hinata or Akane Owari, at least from what he remembered. The man had long black hair which fell to his knees, and when he turned around, Fuyuhiko could see that one of his eyes was green, while the other was scarlet. Hajime didn’t have hair or eyes like that. As for the woman, she was emaciated, and sat in a wheelchair. She looked as if her skin hung right on top of her bones. Akane Owari was a creature of strength and muscle, who ate whenever she had the opportunity to, not someone who needed another person to help feed her. He didn’t want to accept that this was what they’d become. But then they spoke, and he was once more forced to face the uncomfortable truth.

 

“Oh, hi Fuyuhiko. You’re awake.” Though his appearance had changed drastically, the voice was unmistakably Hajime’s. “Do you want to eat something? The restaurant doesn’t magically restock anymore, but Makoto and the others brought plenty of food.”

 

“Sure,” Fuyuhiko numbly replied as he took a seat at their table. It was true that he was hungry, having not eaten since waking up, but seeing his two friends like this had wiped out whatever appetite he might’ve had.

 

“Hey there, Baby Gangsta,” Akane’s voice was weak, but contained the same happy-go-lucky attitude as he remembered. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back up and running in no time. So I won’t blame you if challenge me to a fight now. It might be the only time you win,” she said, smiling.

 

The sheer absurdity of the suggestion was so like Akane that he couldn’t help but feel a little better. “Don’t be ridiculous, dumbass,” he said, but there was no malice in the insult. “You better just focus on getting better. Make sure you don’t eat too much at once though.”

 

“I know, Hajime already gave me an earful about that.” Akane put her spoon down. “I’m so hungry though, but I guess I should take it slow, huh. Those Future Foundation people said something like that too.”

 

“Compared to the two of us, you look pretty much just like I remember, Fuyuhiko,” Hajime remarked. “Your hair’s grown longer though. You’re also a bit pale, but I imagine some rest and food will fix that.” He passed a bowl of porridge to Fuyuhiko as he spoke. “Your body needs to get used to eating food again, so bear with the lack of flavor for now.”

 

“Look at you, acting all reliable and shit Hajime,” Fuyuhiko said, accepting the bowl. “But when are you going to do something about that hair?”

 

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to cut it, but I don’t know how,” the boy replied. “I asked Makoto if any of his friends knew how to cut hair, but he said that the only one who would isn’t available right now.”

 

“I can do it,” Fuyuhiko offered. “I remember the way it was during the simulation, too, so don’t worry about that.” Hajime raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Fuyuhiko glowered at him. “Don’t ask. Let’s just get it done after we finish eating.” With that said, Fuyuhiko dug into his porridge with some enthusiasm. He _was_ hungry, after all.

 

The rest of the meal proceeded without much conversation. During the silence, there was a lot of things that Fuyuhiko could have thought about, but it was nice to simply focus on eating, so that was what he did. As the three of them finished up, Hajime excused himself to help Akane back to her cottage, while Fuyuhiko went over to the supermarket to find a sheet, a mirror, and some scissors for the haircut. Compared to the supermarket in the simulation, the real one was stocked with much more practical items. The unfamiliar setup caused Fuyuhiko to waste several minutes, but eventually he found the items he was looking for.

 

After cutting the sheet into a makeshift gown, Fuyuhiko walked back to the restaurant, where he found Hajime waiting. “Put it on,” he said, tossing the gown at him. Hajime complied without comment, and Fuyuhiko began. He was expecting it to be difficult to use the scissors with only one functioning eye, but he found to his surprise that his body seemed already accustomed to the lack of depth perception. It was as unnerving as it was helpful.

 

“Hey Fuyuhiko?” The haircut was about a quarter of the way done when Hajime spoke up.

 

“What Hajime?” Another clump of black hair fell to the ground.

 

“Is everything ok with you?” Fuyuhiko’s hand paused.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You’re different from the simulation,” Hajime explained.

 

“We all are.” Fuyuhiko replied curtly.

 

“You don’t curse as much. Not that I mind that in particular, but you seem a lot colder,” Hajime continued.

 

“I’m not a fucking Despair, if that’s what you’re asking.”

 

“I didn’t mean it like that. Just … let me know if there’s anything I can help you with. We have to stick together you know? Just like in the game.” The only reply Fuyuhiko gave was a soft snip, as he resumed cutting. Hajime let him work for a couple more minutes, before adding, “Besides, we’re sworn brothers, remember?” That got him to stop.

 

“Right. Brothers.” A few moments passed, before Fuyuhiko smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Ultimate Counselor. I’ll let you know if I need to talk about my feelings.” Apparently satisfied, Hajime let the rest of the haircut proceed without interrupting.

 

“Well?” Fuyuhiko asked as he passed the mirror over to Hajime. “Like it?” Hajime examined his new appearance in the mirror with surprise.

 

“It really is exactly like how it was during the simulation,” he said. “Thanks, Fuyuhiko.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Maybe I’ll finally start feeling like myself now,” he said, turning towards the stairs.

 

“Wait, Hajime,” Fuyuhiko called after him. “What did you mean by that? You’re not feeling like yourself right now? The fuck is that supposed to mean?” Hajime stopped, but didn’t turn around.

 

“It’s nothing. Anybody would be feeling pretty out of sorts after waking up from what we experienced, right?”

 

“Don’t fuck with me, you bastard. I know that’s not what you meant.” Fuyuhiko strode over to stand in front of Hajime. “You don’t get to tell me to talk about my problems, and then go keeping your own to yourself.” Hajime let out a quiet sigh.

 

“I don’t know, Fuyuhiko. I guess I feel a little like I’m to blame for this. I was the one who put the virus in the program. I’m the reason we aren’t all happily despair free. And-” Fuyuhiko grabbed the front of his shirt before he could continue.

 

“Listen Hajime. Stop saying “I”. You are _not_ Izuru Kamukura. Out of all of us, you’re the one who’s least responsible for this. Those bastards at Hope’s Peak fucked you up pretty good. As for the rest of us, well,” he laughed self-deprecatingly. “We managed to become fucking nutcases all on our own. You are _not_ responsible for the things Izuru did. The fact that you’re here, trying to make it right anyway, makes you a pretty great guy.”

 

He didn't respond, so the two of them just silently stood and watched the rapidly dimming sky. Fuyuhiko knew there was more on Hajime's mind, but he didn't say anything else. His time at the hospital had given him an appreciation for the value of silence. As the sun finally fell beneath the horizon, Hajime spoke. “I’m going back to my cottage to rest. See you tomorrow. Thanks again for the haircut.”

 

Fuyuhiko followed him down the stairs and out of the restaurant. As he watched Hajime’s back grow smaller and disappear into his cottage, he felt a tightness in his chest. Hajime looked lonely, very lonely. Even though Fuyuhiko had been standing just behind him, it seemed as if there was a great distance between them, one that he couldn’t bridge. Fuyuhiko gazed at the door to Hajime’s cottage for a while longer, before turning around and entering his own with a sigh.

 

When he’d told Hajime to talk about what was bothering him, Fuyuhiko knew that he was being a hypocrite. Because there’d been something bothering him since he’d woken up and realized that he still had his eyepatch. A fear which festered throughout the entire day. Now, alone in his cottage, he was finally finding the courage to face it. Slowly, he walked towards the mirror. In the simulation, he had decided that he would no longer run from reality. No matter how much it scared him. No matter what it might show him. Anything less would disgrace everything they had experienced. So he watched the face in the mirror as it changed from one of dread to one of grim determination.

 

Hands trembling slightly, Fuyuhiko took off the eyepatch and opened his right eye. _It was cornflower blue_ . Suddenly, like a breaking dam, a rush of memories came over him. Removing the bandages with elation, gazing into another mirror, seeing the results of the surgery, and smiling. Laughing. Knowing that although his right eye would never see the world again, **_it was worth it because he knew he could now see a tiny bit of Lady Enoshima’s despair_ ** **.** **_It was_ ** **beautiful** **_. beautiful beautiful beautiful beautiful beautifulbeautifulbeautifulbeauti-_ **

 

Fuyuhiko fell to his knees, gagging. He was suddenly glad that he hadn’t eaten much, because otherwise whatever he’d eaten would have surely come up now. He hadn’t wanted to believe it. Even though he’d already seen his expectations shattered more times than he could count, he thought that there was no way anybody would ever do that to themselves. Reality proved cruel as always. Worse, as he regarded his eye in the mirror once more, he could see that it hadn’t changed at all. It was perfectly preserved, and a perfect fit. As if it was always meant to be there, reminding him of who he was, what he’d _done_ , forever.

 

Fuyuhiko screamed. It was a scream of rage, of denial, of hate. He screamed until his voice became hoarse, and then he kept screaming. He screamed because it was the only thing that could relieve the weight pressing against his chest. He screamed because there wasn’t anything else _to_ do. And when he finally stopped screaming, it was because he felt something rolling down his cheeks, and when he looked in the mirror, the one thought that entered his mind was, _Oh, so it can cry too._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who's read this far! This is my first multi-chaptered work, and I'm excited to continue with it! Kuzuhina is my OTP, and this site could always use some more of it. However, I'm a college student who also has a job, so time is pretty tight. I'll try to update when I can though, so bear with me.


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